More than 600 in vote for power stations inquiry

Great-granny Shirley Giles overturned the council's gasifier consent in the High Court.

More than 600 people voted in a referendum to demand a public inquiry on two proposed power stations at Sutton Bridge.

Results of Wednesday’s parish poll will be sent by the parish council to the Secretary of State – and protesters hope the vote will persuade the Government to hold independent public inquiries to decide if the power stations are built.

Parish councillor Jenny Rowe said: “We hope South Holland District Council will now support us in trying to get a public inquiry into both the applications.

“That’s clearly what the residents want.

“They call themselves ‘the listening council’. If the council are listening to the people they will support us.”

Protesters are expected to speak at tomorrow (Wednesday’s) South Holland planning committee when councillors are asked to rubber-stamp a list of 32 conditions for the planned EDF gas-fired power station on the banks of the River Nene.

The district council is only a consultee for that application, made under the Electricity Act, but has already voted to raise no objections.

The far more controversial EnergyPark Sutton Bridge application for a wood-fuelled, biomass power station – branded a “cancinerator” by some protesters – is due to go before the planning committee on a date to be decided.

If both power stations are built, residents will live in the shadow of 17 towering chimneys – including the two at the existing power station – and fear the combined emissions will pose a huge health hazard.

They are also worried about the threat of fires following a series of blazes at wood-based biomass plants, one of which burned for nearly a fortnight, and the risk of explosions with the plant so close to potentially two gas-fired power stations.

Traffic pollution is another fear with HGVs going to and from the plant every five minutes.